1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for confining a framed area (or scan area) selected by a user in the scope of an object to be scanned, and more particularly to a method for identifying the scope of an object to be scanned by utilization of software.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The scanning procedure of a scanner in the prior art comprises the basic steps 11, 12, 13, and 14 illustrated in FIG. 1A. The conventional scanning method comprises the steps of arranging an original on a scanner to scan the entire original (step 11), displaying a preview window of the original (step 12), selecting a scan area from the preview window by a user (step 13), and scanning a portion of the original corresponding to the scan area (step 14). In general, the resolution (unit dpi) used in the scan of the selected scan area is higher than the resolution used in the scan of the entire original. The first scan is for providing a user the preview window to select the scan area. The second scan is usually for generating the desired result of the scanning procedure.
Apparently, when the scan area 15 of a user's desire is close to the entire original 16 (as shown in FIG. 1B), includes all objects 17 in the original 16 (as shown in FIG. 1C), or is a specific object with regular shape 18 in the original 16 (as framed regular object 18 on the upper right in FIG. 1D), four corners (upper right, lower right, upper left, and lower left) of the scope of an image to be processed can be easily and manually determined by the user. Thus, a rectangular scan area 15 is obtained. More particularly, after the scan area 15 is scanned, an image process is applied to the result of the scan, thus the criteria of the scan area is capable of covering all areas that a user wants to scan instead of exactly equal to all areas, as illustrated in FIGS. 1B to 1D.
However, when the scan area of user's desire is a specific irregular object 195 in the original 16, especially when the specific object 195 is adjacent to a plurality of objects (regular object 18 or irregular object 19), only a scan area of rectangular shape 15 as shown in FIG. 1E is generated instead of a scan area of an exact shape of the object 195 due to the limitation of manually selecting four corners (upper right, lower right, upper left, and lower left) of the scan area in the prior art. Consequently, the scan area 15 includes irrelevant redundant areas in the periphery around the object, that is the user can't frame an exact scan area of the object 195 without including any unnecessary adjacent objects, as shown in FIG. 1F. Therefore, the user has to take an extra step of selecting the wanted image after an image process is performed. Furthermore, though an image process is performed after scanning the scan area 15, the user usually encounters the problem of manually precisely framing an irregular image of an irregular object in the duration of performing the image process.
In other words, the scope displayed on the preview window is corresponding to the entire original leading to the difficulties in accurately selecting a scan area by users in the conventional operating procedure of a scanner, especially when the user wants to scan an irregular pattern or a specific pattern adjacent to a plurality of patterns. Therefore, It is necessary to develop an operating procedure of a scanner that is to promote the efficiency of use and create user-friendly interface.